


Beach Day

by bettyluvsjuggie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Day At The Beach, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 10:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bettyluvsjuggie/pseuds/bettyluvsjuggie
Summary: Betty whisks Jughead away from Riverdale for the day so she can take him to the beach for the first time. They spend the day avoiding the troubles that haunt them at home, and fall in love with the sun, the sand, the sea and each other.





	Beach Day

Jughead and Betty had been on many dates since they’d started dating, but his favourite were probably when they went to the beach. 

“Everyone needs to see the ocean, Jug” she’d raised her eyebrows at him, as if her reasoning was the perfect excuse, as she leant back in the seat and lazily gripped the steering wheel. 

“Not when they’re supposed to be at school, Betty” he retorted, he was already in enough shit at school, skipping wasn’t going to help him. A smirk crept onto her face, the glint of rebellion that was so uniquely ‘Betty’ shone in her eyes.

“Especially when they’re supposed to be at school, Juggie” she breathed a laugh. “Come on, we’ve both been so stressed out lately. I just wanted to do something nice for us” she spoke more quietly, causing Jughead to avert his gaze from the passing scenery and look at Betty. She was nibbling her bottom lip anxiously, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. His heart sunk suddenly, an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. She thought he was mad at her. 

Easily defeated when it came to Betty, Jughead sighed and moved his hand to cover the one closest to him, her knuckles gradually turning white. “Hey, don’t do that” he whispered quietly, all too familiar with how Betty’s hands could cause her harm. He brought her hand away from the steering wheel, interlaced his long, bony fingers with her petite, nimble ones and pulled them to his lips. He placed a tender kiss on the back of her hand, letting them linger there for a moment. From the corner of his eye, he saw Betty’s body physically relax, her posture becoming less rigid as the stress melted away. She moved to rest their woven hands on the console between them as a content smile slipped onto her face.

Jughead cleared his throat, “Well then Betts,” stealing a glance at her still anxious expression, “take me to the beach.” She was right, they needed a break.

But as Jughead watched the excited smile grow on his girlfriend’s face, he observed the vulnerability that glowed behind the surface of her eyes and wondered whether Betty needed to escape more than she let on…

***

When Betty slotted the car into a parking space, she wasted no time hurling her body out of the vehicle and bounding towards the stretch of golden sand. Jughead leaned on the side of the car and simply watched her for a moment, something he found himself doing often, as she slipped off her shoes and skipped in the sand. “Jug come on!” she yelled back at him, tossing her head back and laughing to herself. Her hair had been pulled free and cascaded in loose curls, tickling her shoulders and shining beneath the rays of sunshine. Her pale skin was tinted gold in the light, and Jughead let his eyes roam her long, bare legs that disappeared into the sand. “Stop eye-fucking me and come enjoy the beach!” she shouted teasingly, secretly proud that his gaze seemed permanently locked on her and never strayed.

“Betty, I’m not exactly dressed for the beach, am I?” He glanced down at his combat boots, ripped jeans and loose grey sweater, his leather jacket and knitted beanie had been long-abandoned in the heat. His attire was clearly not something she considered when she stole him away from Riverdale for a surprise beach day.

“I put some shorts in the trunk for you! Get changed and get down here!” She replied, causing Jughead to roll his eyes. He should’ve known better than to think his girlfriend would ever be unprepared for something. He slinked round the car, a vintage convertible that Betty had fixed up with the help of some of his Serpent friends, and popped the trunk. Sure enough, there was shorts and a t-shirt bundled amongst the towels and a picnic.

That girl thinks of everything.

**

Jughead’s initial fascination with the ocean had long passed. Whilst at first, he had joyously watched the waves sparkle under the sun, while they foamed and danced, crashing into the shore, his focus had been immediately reallocated when Betty had pulled her shirt over her head to reveal a small, white bikini. She’d laughed when he audibly groaned at the sight of her exposed skin, nothing but two strips of material covering her body. He frowned, sulking at how she endlessly teased him. It wasn’t fair, she knew the maddening effect she had on him! Although, he hadn’t missed the way she’d sucked her bottom lip into her mouth when he emerged, having pulled on his beach shorts, not bothering with a shirt. A smirk had slipped onto his face, watching how her green eyes had darkened a shade when her gaze slipped over his lean muscles and tanned skin.

“You’re so beautiful, Betty.” The words had tumbled out of his mouth without a second thought. Seeing his girlfriend draped across a beach towel, her colours blending so easily with the gold spread across the sand and the sky, he had no hesitation in his words. He had been stunned earlier by the surprising beauty of the beach, but nothing ever stunned him more than the girl he loved. A blush crept onto her cheeks, startled by the sudden compliment and feeling the heat of his gaze trail across her face. Her body was set alight as his eyes travelled lower, the air suddenly crackling with electricity. He had rolled onto his side, resting on his forearm and leaning slightly over her body. Betty’s stomach erupted with butterflies when he she felt calloused fingers graze the skin of her thigh. Words failed her, caught by the lump in her throat. The only response she could muster was to reach up, tangling her fingers in his messy raven locks and pulling so his lips crashed into hers. She felt the beach melt away with his kiss, a gentle embrace but fuelled by fierce passion and love. Jughead pulled away breathless, only acutely aware of their very public setting, trying to quell the aching desire in his body that had been ignited by just a kiss.

“I think I love the beach” he whispered, voice slightly husky with arousal and Betty breathed a laugh onto his lips, still only inches from her own.

“Yeah me too, Jug.”

**

“You not coming in?” the blonde called to her boyfriend, who stood timidly at the shore while the water lapsed softly against Betty’s knees.  
Jughead shook his head firmly. “No, I think I’m good” he called, a slight shake laced his tone. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes flitting between Betty and the waves.

“Jughead, are you scared of the sea?” she questioned teasingly, a grin breaking on her face.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” he replied without hesitation, moving one finger to point down at the water, “There’s all sorts of creepy shit in there.”

Betty’s melodious laughter mingled with the soft crash of the waves. She began wading back to where the water swirled around Jughead’s ankles. She outstretched her arms to him. “Come on! I’ll hold your hand to make you feel better,” biting back a laugh and lazily lacing her fingers with his She began moving backwards into the sea, dragging him with her reluctantly. Her amusement grew as his eyes darted skittishly across the water, searching for dangers below the water. She placed her two hands flat against the hard planes of his chest and looked up into his clear blue eyes, “Jug, look at me” she spoke softly. She placed her hand on his neck, tilting his face to hers and his gaze locked with her. “Relax.”

He sighed heavily, taking a moment to calm his unconscious erratic breathing. Once he stopped thinking about it too hard, standing amongst the gradually calming waters had a rather tranquil effect. A small smile slipped onto his face.

Betty grinned triumphantly, “there you go! See Juggie, isn’t it nice?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s not so bad” he mused softly, suddenly enjoying it. However, seconds later he felt something below the water gingerly slick over his foot. His eyes bulged and he squealed, loudly. While Betty erupted in playful laughter, Jughead squirmed and writhed, suddenly losing his footing and falling very ungracefully into the water. Betty howled louder, head tossing back at the image of her boyfriend sitting in the water, a sulking expression on his face, drenched with water.

“Oh, Jug” she managed to squeeze the words out between her shrieks. His frown deepened as he observed her delight at his clumsiness.

“It’s not funny.”

“Yes, it is!”

“No, it’s not.”

“Oh gosh, Jug, the way you fell!” her laughter still not settling, now leaning her hands on her knees to steady herself.

He grinned devilishly. It wasn’t fair that he was the only one he got soaked. Quickly, he dove his hand beneath the water and flicked it upwards, sending a substantial gush of water towards Betty. Her huddled-over stance as she laughed meant that his attack had successfully drenched her whole frame. Her laughter was immediately doused as she felt the cold seawater hit her, shrieking loudly.

“JUGHEAD!” her eyes were widened comically, her hair flattened against her head, staring at him in shock. She slicked her hair away from her face, and tried to squeeze some of the wetness from the tresses that had been flattened against her neck.

“Now that…” Jughead began chuckling lightly as he pushed himself up from the seabed, “was pretty funny.” He flashed her one his most boyish smiles as he laughed lightly. He moved to stand with her, easily towering above her frame.

“Okay, okay, you got your revenge. Now, don’t do that again.” She breathed a laugh with him.

“Gotcha” he nodded with her. Abruptly, his hands wandered behind her and she gasped as he swept her up in his arms and flung them both into the water. This time, Betty couldn’t help but laugh when she broke the surface of the shimmering water.

“You’re a menace” she spat at him playfully.

“I’m your menace” he retorted, a cheeky smile bracing his face. She loved the playful side of him so much.

“Damn straight, you are” She waded towards him in the shallow water, floating slightly above his lap, and looped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her face in his shoulder. “All for me.”

“You poor kid, sounds like a handful” he grinned, tone laced with his usual sarcasm.

“Don’t talk about my boyfriend like that” she said, lifting her head so she could look into his eyes.

Jughead would never get over how expressive those bright green orbs were. They always bore her feelings so obviously, at least to him. With one look into her eyes, he felt like he could read her mind. When they floated there, tangled together amongst the waves, her eyes glowed with happiness, crinkling at the edges as she stared at him with pure devotion. No words needed to be exchanged between them, the air crackled with blissful joy and love. Betty pressed a kiss to his lips, thankful that they had this moment. It felt like she was falling in love with him all over again.

Here, cradling each other in the sea, Riverdale seemed a whole world away. There were no expectations here, no civil war, no prying eyes, no judgement. Here, they had peace. She didn’t have to be the perfect girl next door, he didn’t have to be the Serpent kid from the wrong side of the tracks. No, here, they could just be two kids in love.

Jughead pulled back from her gentle kiss, breathing a sigh and fluttering his eyes open. Betty’s eyes were still closed, her lips parted with a whisper of a smile traced there.

I’m going to marry this girl someday.

It wasn’t a grand revelation, nor a hope or a dream. In that moment, he just realised it was a fact. One day, Jughead Jones was going to make Betty Cooper his wife. A smile slipped onto his face, unrestrained and full. He couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.

That’s why, years later he brought Betty back to the very first beach she’d stolen him away to. Over the years, they’d visited many, finding a rare feeling of escapism when the two of them lay amongst the sand and the sea, but this one had always been his favourite. Jughead brought the girl he loved back to the spot where he first knew. His dropped onto his knee in the soft sand and whispered the words he felt he’d had to wait centuries to say.

“Will you marry me?”


End file.
